A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment Thursday against three Tehama County residents charging them with conspiracy in connection with the distribution of methamphetamine and heroin, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Miguel Alverez Cervantes, 53, Maria Cervantes-Echevarria, 34, and Marta Jiminez Lopez, 26, all Mexican nationals living in Los Molinos, were charged under the indictment with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, the office said.

It also charged them with possessing methamphetamine and heroin for distribution.

Additionally, the office said, Lopez and Cervantes-Echevarria are charged with possessing a firearm to aid in their alleged drug-trafficking crimes.

According to court documents, Cervantes-Echevarria and Lopez used their home in Los Molinos as a stash location for narcotics, firearms and cash.

Court records allege that in January 2018, the two women delivered a spare tire to another person that was later found to contain about 22 pounds of methamphetamine.

In addition, an undercover agent purchased over three pounds of methamphetamine from Miguel Cervantes during three buys in August and September.

"When agents searched Cervantes-Echevarria and Lopez’s home they found three handguns and over $44,000 in cash in the master bedroom," the office said, adding that agents also found more than 34 pounds of methamphetamine, three pounds of heroin and an AR-15-style rifle on the property.

The criminal case is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Land Management, the Tehama Interagency Drug Enforcement (TIDE) task force, the Shasta Interagency Narcotics Task Force (SINTF) and the Siskiyou Unified Major Investigations Team (SUMIT), the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The effort also received assistance from the FBI and the California Highway Patrol.

If convicted of the charges, they face a minimum of 10 years in prison to a life sentence and a $10 million fine, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Meanwhile, the federal grand jury also indicted two men arrested in August in connection with an illegal marijuana grow in the Mendocino National Forest in Tehama County, the office said.

In that case, the grand jury returned a four-count indictment against Gregorio Moreno-Valencia, 26, and Alexandro Ayala-Acosta, 45, who are also Mexican nationals, the office said.

In addition to the marijuana grow, the indictment charges them with possession of firearms and the depredation of public lands.

According to court documents, law enforcement personnel arrested both men on Aug. 27, 2018. Moreno-Valencia was armed with a Colt .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol and Ayala-Acosta was armed with a Mossberg short-barrel 12-gauge pump shotgun, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

This case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, the Tehama County Sheriff’s Department, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, the California National Guard, and the state Department of Justice.